As a Sault Ste. Marie native who grew up following the Greyhounds, as much as anybody, Colin Miller understands what the ups and downs of this team mean to hockey fans in this city.

As those who cheer for the Hounds readily know, the club has missed the playoffs for the last two seasons and in three of the last four campaigns.

But that stretch of ineptitude has to end, said Miller, a 19-year-old (1992 birth year), about to play as an overage.

“There is no option of not making the playoffs. It’s a must,” said the six-foot-one, 185-pounder, about to enter his third Ontario Hockey League season.

Asked what the 2012-2013 Hounds, who completed Day 2 of training camp Thursday, need to do, Miller spoke of making improvements in all areas.

“We’re young, but we also have experienced guys,” he said. “We have to come together, work hard and be consistent night after night.”

The way Miller sees it, his role in helping this club turn itself around involves “trying to make a difference every time I’m on the ice.”

A fifth-round draft choice (151st overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, Miller said he’s determined to establish himself as a go-to player, thus helping make his team better.

“I want to be consistently good and feel a lot more confident on the ice,” said Miller, who finished last season with eight goals and 20 assists in 54 games.

What was impressive for Miller was the plus-minus rating of plus-9 he achieved, while playing for a team that surrendered 45 goals more than it scored.

He also avoided dropping into the red as a rookie, finishing the 2010-2011 campaign with a plus-2 rating.

An excellent skater, Miller spent the summer hoping to add muscle to his frame. He worked out extensively with personal trainer Mike Cowan and entered training camp saying it was “the strongest I’ve ever felt.”

He was also determined to make his feet even quicker.

“Overall, I’m just trying to be stronger and up my game in all areas in order to play at the next level,” he said. “Getting drafted was great. That was a major goal of mine and now I’ve accomplished it. But I know there’s an awful lot of work still to be done.”

Miller attended the Kings development camp in Los Angeles in early July. A year ago, as a free agent, he attended that camp, along with both the rookie and main training camps.

“I knew what to expect this year, but it was still tough,” he said of the development camp. “Being there motivates you and it shows you a little bit of what it takes to get there (the pros).”

His goal has been to make the Kings American Hockey League affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, this season.

But with the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of an NHL lockout, which would see some young NHLers open the season in the AHL, Miller believes he’ll suit up for the Hounds.